Exercise, cognition, and the adolescent brain

Background Few adolescents engage in the recommended levels of physical activity, and daily exercise levels tend to drastically decrease throughout adolescence. Beyond physical health benefits, regular exercise may also have important implications for the teenage brain and cognitive and academic capabilities. Methods This narrative review examines how physical activity and aerobic exercise relate to school performance, cognition, and brain structure and function. Results A number of studies have found that habitual exercise and physical activity are associated with academic performance, cognitive function, brain structure, and brain activity in adolescents. We also discuss how additional intervention studies that examine a wide range of neurological and cognitive outcomes are necessary, as well as characterizing the type, frequency, and dose of exercise and identifying individual differences that contribute to how exercise may benefit the teen brain. Conclusions Routine exercise relates to adolescent brain structure and function as well as cognitive performance. Together, these studies suggest that physical activity and aerobic exercise may be important factors for optimal adolescent brain development.